US to pursue criminal charges against crew of sanctioned Russia-flagged oil tanker

The United States will pursue criminal charges against those responsible for operating the sanctioned oil tanker BELLA 1 after crew members allegedly defied orders from the US Coast Guard during the interception of the vessel, US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said.

Bondi said members of the crew are under full investigation for failing to comply with US authorities and for their alleged role in transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran as part of a sanctions-evasion network linked to foreign terrorist organisations. She warned that prosecutions would follow for all “culpable actors," Caliber.Az reports via her post on X. 

Today the United States executed a seizure warrant for the BELLA 1, a crude oil tanker responsible for transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. The BELLA 1 was previously designated by OFAC for its role in a sanctions evasion network responsible for supporting foreign…

— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 7, 2026

The US seized the oil tanker on January 7 after pursuing it for more than two weeks across the Atlantic.

The vessel had previously been designated by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and US officials say it attempted to evade law enforcement by fleeing from the Coast Guard.

The Justice Department said it is monitoring several other vessels suspected of similar activity and warned that any ship that fails to obey orders from the Coast Guard or other federal authorities will face investigation and prosecution.

According to US officials, the tanker had resisted a Coast Guard boarding attempt near Venezuela in December before switching off its Automatic Identification System, changing its name to Marinera, and re-registering under the Russian flag.

Russia responded by deploying a submarine and other naval assets to escort the vessel, according to CBS News. Moscow’s Foreign Ministry said the ship was sailing in international waters under the Russian flag and in compliance with international maritime law, warning that it was receiving “clearly disproportionate attention.”

Washington sanctioned the vessel in 2024 over alleged involvement in illicit oil shipments linked to Iranian crude and other blacklisted entities. The ship was heading to load cargo in Venezuela when US forces first attempted to board it, but it made a sharp U-turn and fled into the Atlantic.

Venezuela has condemned the US action as “international piracy.”

The Justice Department said the operation involved multiple agencies, including the National Security Division, the Criminal Division, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Department of War, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the US Coast Guard.

By Sabina Mammadli